Tuning the number of redox groups in the cathode toward high rate and long lifespan zinc-ion batteries

Yanjun Shi; Zhihui Xu; Pengcheng Wang; Haiguang Gao; Wanjiao He; Yanan Sun; Yucheng Huang; Juan Xu; Jianyu Cao

doi:10.1039/d3cc05493d

Tuning the number of redox groups in the cathode toward high rate and long lifespan zinc-ion batteries

Chem Commun (Camb). 2024 Jan 4;60(4):420-423. doi: 10.1039/d3cc05493d.

Authors

Yanjun Shi¹, Zhihui Xu¹, Pengcheng Wang¹, Haiguang Gao¹, Wanjiao He¹, Yanan Sun², Yucheng Huang³, Juan Xu¹, Jianyu Cao¹

Affiliations

¹ Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Advanced Catalytic Materials and Technology, Analysis and Testing Center, School of Petrochemical Engineering, Changzhou University, 1 Gehu Road, Changzhou, Jiangsu 213164, China. shiyanjun@cczu.edu.cn.
² Beijing National Laboratory for Molecular Sciences, Key Laboratory of Organic Solids, Institute of Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100190, China.
³ College of Chemistry and Material Science, Anhui Normal University, Wuhu 241000, China.

PMID: 38086642
DOI: 10.1039/d3cc05493d

Abstract

We synthesized a small molecule, DBPTO, and used it as a cathode material in aqueous zinc-ion batteries. DBPTO presented a high reversible capacity of 382 mA h g^-1 at 0.05 A g^-1 and a long lifespan of over 60 000 cycles. In the same π-conjugated skeleton, DBPTO (containing four CO and two CN groups) shows a narrower energy gap than TAPQ (containing CO and four CN groups), which leads to the superior rate and cycling performance of DBPTO. The mechanism of charge storage of DBPTO also revealed that H⁺ and Zn²⁺ coordinated with the CO and CN sites by ex situ structural characterization and DFT calculations. Our results provide new insights into the design of organic cathodes with a high rate capability and long lifespan. Further efforts will focus on a deeper understanding of the charge storage mechanism.